Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate or any of the affiliate characters. I only do this for fun.
Setting: Set after Unending in Season Ten, but before Ark of Truth (well, except for the epilogue), and before Continuum.
Author's Note: Although this is intended as a sequel to The Cabin, the tone and subject are quite different. This was not entirely intentional, the story had a few ideas of its own. You've been warned.
Comments: Feedback is always, always welcome. I'll never get any better unless I know what people like, and what they don't.
Ratings: Safe for teen and older. Very tame, despite Vala's presence.
Postings: This story is written in full. I will be posting chapters as I finish proofreading. Please be patient with the process.
Sam made her way through the eerily silent halls of the SGC. It was much later than she had anticipated, but Teal'c had requested her presence in his quarters once her experiment was complete, and she felt she owed it to her long-time friend, regardless how bone-tired she felt, to make an appearance. Besides, he had said it was a matter of great importance, and Teal'c had never been one to exaggerate.
Reaching his door, Sam knocked twice, chewing her lower lip guiltily for having made him wait so long. Teal'c answered immediately, smiling down at her as he ushered her inside.
"Sorry I'm so late," she began, but he shook his head, cutting her off.
"Think nothing of it, Colonel Carter. I am glad you were able to come."
Sam smiled wanly at him, gratefully accepting the seat he offered her. "You said you had something important to discuss?," she offered, her curiosity more than a little piqued by the earlier statement.
"Indeed, Colonel Carter, although I am not altogether certain how I should proceed." A vaguely troubled look crossed his face, and Sam sat up a little straighter.
"Does this have anything to do with our experiences aboard the Odyssey?," she asked, not sure she really wanted to know. Granted, the timeline had been drastically altered, but still...Future knowledge was never something to be trifled with. Not that Teal'c was generally one to trifle...
"Indeed," he replied, inclining his head.
Sam studied him a moment, her mind working a thousand miles a minute. He wanted to tell her something about their altered future. Something of great importance. Yet why now? It had already been five months since their safe return, and he hadn't said a word about any of it in all that time. What had changed?
The troubled look was back, and Sam wrenched her thoughts back to the present, to the man sitting uncomfortably across from her. "Are you sure you want to do this?," she asked carefully, gauging his reaction for hesitation. There was none.
"I must, Colonel Carter. Prior to the destruction of the Odyssey, Daniel Jackson placed his fate in my hands." Sam's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and she shifted to the edge of her seat, leaning forward ever so slightly as if afraid to miss her friend's next words. "Daniel Jackson did not believe, given a second chance, that he would remain true to his wife. He insisted that Vala was indeed his ideal mate, however, he believed he may never come to perceive her thus without the extenuating circumstances of our time aboard the Odyssey."
"Wait. Daniel and Vala? Married?," Sam squeaked. Teal'c smiled, inclining his head.
"Indeed." Sam gaped at him.
"Did we all pair off? I mean, did I...," she trailed, heart thudding. Oh god. Fifty years alone on that ship, without Jack. Would she? She shook her head, mentally trying to dislodge the notion. No. Surely not...
Teal'c was still smiling at her, patiently waiting for her wandering attention to focus back on him. Snapping back to herself, she met his gaze in wide-eyed anticipation as he finally replied, "No."
Sam breathed a heavy sigh of relief, grateful he would not be telling her that she had turned to one of the others as a cure for loneliness.
"I believe you would have remained true to O'Neill until your final days, Colonel Carter," he reassured gently.
Sam took a steadying breath before asking, "So Daniel and Vala...?"
"Vala Mal Doran was most persistent in our first few weeks aboard the Odyssey. Daniel Jackson, however, was disinclined to take her invitations seriously."
"So what happened?," Sam asked, burning curiosity beginning to take the place of her exhaustion.
"I believe there was a disagreement in which many regrettable things were said. It was then that Daniel Jackson came to realize the sincerity of Vala's regard for him, and a relationship was established."
"How long?," Sam asked, feeling a little breathless.
"Within three months of the initialization of the time dilation field."
"Fifty years?!," exclaimed Sam.
"Indeed. Their love proved as true as that which you share with O'Neill."
"They still fight like cats and dogs here," Sam observed.
"Indeed. It is precisely as Daniel Jackson feared."
"Teal'c, we can't just tell them..."
"Of this I am aware, Colonel Carter. That is why I have come to you."
Sam sat back in the chair, contemplating everything he had just told her. Rubbing her hands tiredly across her face she asked, "Are you sure we have any right to interfere? I mean, they figured it out on their own last time..."
"Colonel Carter," Teal'c replied, his tone suddenly stern. "I am responsible for removing all hope of a future with Shar'e from Daniel Jackson's life. For that, he forgave me. However, I will not be responsible for the same grief a second time." Sam sat up a little straighter, a frown creasing her brow.
"Whether they are aware of it or not," Teal'c continued, "Daniel Jackson and Vala Mal Doran have been happily married for fifty years. Do you not think they deserve the opportunity to recall this life together?"
Sam exhaled deeply. If it had been her and Jack... Well, she'd want that time back, no matter the consequences. "All right, I'll help," she answered at last, nodding for emphasis.
"That is good," Teal'c replied, visibly relaxing. "I believe some time at the cabin would be in order."
Sam grinned at the thought. "I'll call Jack tonight to let him know."
Teal'c cocked an eyebrow, glancing meaningfully at the clock on his nightstand. Sam followed his gaze. 3am. She sighed. "All right, I'll call himin the morning," she amended.
"Sleep well, Colonel Carter," Teal'c replied, seeing her to the door.
"You too, Teal'c," she yawned, deciding it would probably be best to crash on-base for the night.
Shutting the door softly behind his guest, Teal'c laid a gentle hand against the smooth grey surface, closing his eyes. He had known his return to this time would have its challenges. Yet he had hoped that facing her would never be one of them...
Sam emerged from the General's sickroom, tears streaming down her face. He was there, waiting for her, ready for the inevitable onslaught of emotion. In all the time they had spent together, her grief had never fully abated. And in the General's last moments, he was all too aware of who she would see. Forty-odd years had passed for them onboard the Odyssey. It did not matter that less than a heartbeat had passed for the rest of the galaxy. In her mind, the husband she had so desperately longed for must be dead as well, and true to his fears, his ever grieving friend was folded into his arms, inconsolable against the injustice of it all.
Looking back, he found that it was hardly any different from their earliest weeks onboard the Odyssey. He would frequently find her alone, the shell of the warrior he once knew, weeping in frustration. In fear. In regret. In grief. This day would have been no different had he not anticipated her need. He knew her too well, after all these years.
"He's gone," she shuddered, sobbing into his chest. "This is all my fault."
"There is still time for a solution," he pressed gently, holding her close. She shook her head against his chest.
"It doesn't matter how much time I have. I'll never get us out of this."
"You will, Samantha Carter. Your work has been progressing these last several years."
"It's not enough. We'll never see him again."
Teal'c placed a reassuring hand against her hair, resting his head upon her own. She shook against him, her carefully built walls all crashing down around them. "Samantha Carter," he whispered, pulling her momentarily back to him. "General O'Neill has barely had time to draw breath since we initiated the time dilation field. There is still time. Do not give up."
He had hoped to comfort her, but instead, her crying intensified. "It's too late," she sobbed. "I gave up long ago."
"That is untrue," he stated rationally. "You have continued your work unfailingly."
"Only because I'm too afraid to live what life I have left," she wept. Teal'c cupped her face, gently brushing aside her tears. Her hand came up to meet his, not pushing him away as he would have expected, but accepting the gesture as it was.
"You do not give yourself enough credit," he said plainly, carefully meeting her teary eyes.
"I should have moved on a long time ago," she confessed, her lower lip quivering beneath his thumb.
"There is no shame in remaining true to your spouse," he murmured. "I have never thought less of you for the path you have chosen."
"Would you think less of me if I chose differently now?," she hiccoughed. He inhaled deeply, contemplating his response.
"I would not," he answered at last, letting her head fall back to his chest.
"You're seriously telling me that nothing happened?," Daniel demanded, staring incredulously at his friend.
"It would be a breach of trust to take advantage of her grief," he replied solemnly.
"But three weeks?! How could nothing have happened in three weeks? She was in your quarters every night!"
"She required comfort. Nothing more."
"I don't know which one of you is worse!," Daniel exclaimed, clearly exasperated. "I mean, Sam's outdone even Penelope at this point, and she waited twenty years for Odysseus to return from the Trojan war! And you, you've never once pressed your suit! Why not? She's the only other woman onboard this ship, and God knows she's never shown any interest in Cam. Why not try for a little more than mere comfort? Why not go for some actual happiness?" His frustration spent, the archaeologist starred defiantly at his friend, daring him to contradict his observations.
"Daniel Jackson. O'Neill was as a brother to me, and she is his wife. While he still lives, I will never impose myself between them."
"Even if it means both of you living out the rest of your lives alone?"
"As long as I draw breath, she will never be alone. That much I swear to you."
"You love her." It came as a statement, not an accusation.
"I care deeply for her."
"Tell her."
"Never."
"You're insane."
"Perhaps."